


love, like you

by carminesunset



Series: AFTG Bingo 2018 [8]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, So Married, this took a 180 from what I was originally planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 16:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16998162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carminesunset/pseuds/carminesunset
Summary: If there was one thing Nicky wasn’t entirely prepared for when becoming a parent, it was the sheer amount of mess that a kid could make.(AFTG Nicky/Erik Bingo Prompts: Box of crayons + spoons and forks)





	love, like you

If there was one thing he wasn’t entirely prepared for when becoming a parent, it was the sheer amount of  _ mess _ that a kid could make. Two, though? Nicky was sure that if a tornado blew through the house as it was now, it would look cleaner than it did before.

Still, he picked through the mess that was the living room, praying he didn’t step on any legos as he went. Both he and Erik were exhausted last night, and they hadn’t quite managed to clean up everything before they passed out. 

“Fu-fudge! Shoot!” There was the lego. Nicky winced and shook his foot before bending down and picking up the offending toy. “That was rude, you know,” said Nicky to the lego. He tossed it into the box in the corner, rolling his eyes when it bounced off the rim and landed outside on the carpet instead.

He glanced at the clock. Luckily, his workplace was just a few blocks away, and he still had plenty of time before lunch was over. Today was Erik’s turn to pick up the kids after work, and he knew that corralling the kids was a mountainous task. Nicky decided to clean up a bit and start dinner prep a little bit early, just so there was less for Erik to worry about when he got home. He was finished with most of his work, anyways.

He surveyed the room briefly. Other than the legos, which were now mostly picked up, there were a few toy cars strewn about and a pile of crayons spilled across the coffee table. The dollhouse was also still set up for play, along with the Barbies that lived in it.

“Oh, fudge it,” he muttered, and shoved the toy cars and the dolls into a corner. The dollhouse got the same treatment. “Sorry, dream house.” With most of the mess moved aside, the living room looked almost habitable again. He directed his attention to the papers and crayons on the coffee table.

After he had finally gathered all the crayons in the box again, he saw the papers strewn about. His heart nearly burst with affection. Their kids were still at the age where they couldn’t quite color within the lines yet, but their stick figures were impeccable. Two big stick figures holding the hands of two smaller stick figures in front of an endearingly lopsided house and a lumpy dog peeking out from behind a tree. 

It was beautiful.

Touched, Nicky reverently picked it up and walked over to the kitchen to hang it up with a magnet. Of course, they were a family, but seeing proof of it was touching. He startled as the front door clicked open. He peeked his head out the kitchen to see Erik walking in, pulling off his scarf.

“Erik?” He asked. Erik whirled around in surprise and stopped short at the sight of his husband.

“Nicky! You’re home. I wasn’t expecting you.” He stepped forward and pressed a sweet kiss to Nicky’s lips.

“You’re telling me,” said Nicky. He brushed a bit of lint from Erik’s coat as arms came up to wrap around his waist. “I actually meant to surprise you by getting ahead on some chores.”

“That’s funny, because I was going to do the exact same.” A silly grin crept up into Nicky’s face. Even after all these years, Erik could still make his heart skip a beat.

“Oh, Erik. You didn’t have to, sweetie. Isn’t your lunch break almost over? And you work on the other side of town.”

“It’s alright. I took an extra long lunch break.” Erik leaned down again to kiss him again, but it only lasted a moment before Nicky gently pushed him away.

“Well… If you’re going to have extra time anyways...” Nicky trailed a finger from the base of Erik’s throat, down his torso, popping open each button on his coat. 

“Oh?” Erik quirked an eyebrow, grinning slightly. “Are we going to do something fun?”

Nicky looked up at him through his lashes coyly. He reached the last button of his coat and pushed it off his shoulders. “Fun… Maybe something like…” He pressed forward to feel the heat of his body. “Helping me prep dinner for tonight?” At that, Erik groaned and slumped forward to press his face into Nicky’s neck.

“You’re such a tease, you know that?” His voice was muffled, but Nicky could hear the grin in his voice. After a moment, he straightened up with a sigh. “We might as well get started now, then. Do you want me to set the table?” Nicky shook his head.

“We’ll do it before we eat tonight and have the kids help. Mind washing the dishes? I can at least start prepping vegetables.” Nicky ushered him over to the sink. “And please make sure the forks and spoons are in the right spots.”

Erik dutifully began to wash the dishes but made a sound of dismay when he saw what Nicky was pulling from the fridge. “Brussels sprouts? Really?”

“You’re just as bad as the children. Brussels sprouts aren’t that terrible.” Erik gave him a Look, as he scrubbed at a pot. Nicky fussed over the vegetables for a moment. “Okay, well, they aren’t great, but it’s still good for you!” Even though his back was to him, Nicky could still feel the judgmental look Erik was sending his way. “... And one of the PTA moms shaded me ‘cause our lunches aren’t  _ organic _  and directly from the  _ farmer's market _ ,” Nicky scoffed. “Seriously, who has the time for that? Honestly, some people.”

The water from the sink turned off with a squeak of the tap. “You shouldn’t let them bother you, Nicky,” Erik said seriously. Nicky turned around to see Erik with his arms crossed, leaning back against the sink. There wasn’t a speck of humour in his eyes. “You’re a wonderful father and husband. They’re just jealous our kids are better than theirs.” Nicky shook his head.

“Yeah, I guess they just get to me sometimes. I mean it’s better than when we first moved here...” Nicky bit his lip remembering the cold shoulders from the other parents and the fucking  _ petition _ that rat Mrs. Watson tried to start to kick them out. Even now, after he had befriended most of them, it still sometimes felt like he was an outsider.

“I love you, Nicky,” Erik said. He stepped forward to press his forehead against Nicky’s, grasping his hands with his own damp ones. “You’re amazingly sweet and funny and charming, and screw all the those -- Karens and Susans out there; they're so insecure about themselves, they try to take down anyone they can get their hands on. They’re awful for that. But you’re the most amazing man I have ever had the fortune to fall in love with. And sometimes -- sometimes I can’t believe that the man of my dreams loves me back.”

Nicky’s heart felt like it could burst at any moment from all of his emotion. He pressed a fist to Erik’s chest and sniffled. He was crying, and it was barely one o'clock in the afternoon.

“You’re such a sap.” This was the man who took him out of his shell when he still didn’t know how to be anyone but the person his parents wanted him to be. This was the man who stood by him when his cousins needed him, when he had to leave him behind for five years as he attended Palmetto. This was the man who supported not only him, but his entire family as they awaited Aaron’s trial. This was the man who waited for him. This was the man he loved. “I love you, too,” he managed to choke out through the haze of tears, and Erik smiled and cupped his face in his hands. He delicately stroked the tears from Nicky’s face, and the affection in his gestures almost made him fall to his knees. No one else had ever treated Nicky as though he were something to be cherished.

Erik kissed him on the forehead before stepping back. Nicky took a moment to just breathe and soon the flow of tears stopped. “Sorry for crying all of a sudden,” Nicky said. “It was just bothering me and I didn’t even notice it. God, I’m such a mess today.”

“I’m your husband. I’ve seen you in various states of messy, and it hasn’t put me off just yet.”

“Guess I’m one lucky man, huh?“

“No, I’d say I was the lucky one,“ and Erik was looking at him with such love and sap, that Nicky had to push him away and turn around.

“We should get back to this. Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves, you know.“ Nicky wiped away the rest of his tears and set to work on the vegetables. Erik didn’t move for a moment, but then briefly pressed a kiss to the back of Nicky’s head.

“Anything for you, Schatz.“

**Author's Note:**

> forgive any typos, I just sat and wrote most of this in one sitting and now my knee hurts and it is way too late  
> anyways. the entire second half i didn't really plan to write? tbh it just... came out
> 
> hmu on Tumblr @ mokuuton


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